Taxable scholarships, fellowships, bursaries, and artists' project grants – Personal income tax
- Federal: Line 13010
- Tax year: 2025| Prior tax years: 2024 and earlier
You may need to report the taxable portion of any scholarship, fellowship, bursary, artists' project grant, or certain prizes if the amount is not fully exempt from tax.
If you received a research grant, do not report it on line 13010. For more information, go to Line 10400, Other employment income.
Who needs to report
You may need to report an amount on line 13010 if all of the following conditions apply:
You received a scholarship, fellowship, bursary, artists' project grant, or a prize for achievement in a field you ordinarily carry one during the tax year
What is a scholarship, fellowship, or bursary
Scholarships, fellowships, and bursaries are amounts paid or benefits provided to help individuals advance their education.
A fellowship is generally awarded to a graduate student by a university, charity, or similar organization. Fellowships are commonly provided for doctoral or post‑doctoral studies, although their tax treatment depends on the recipient's circumstances.
The amount was not received in connection with your employment or in the course of business
The total amount received exceed your scholarship exemption
What is the scholarship exemption
The scholarship exemption is the portion of eligible scholarships, fellowships, bursaries, artists' project grants, and certain prizes that you do not have to include in income.
Amounts that are not taxable
The following amounts are not taxable:
- Elementary and secondary school scholarships and bursaries are not taxable.
A post-secondary scholarship, fellowship, or bursary may be fully exempt when you are a full‑time qualifying student and the award is intended to support your enrolment in the post‑secondary program.
Alert: InfoA post-secondary program that consists mainly of research is eligible for the scholarship exemption only if it leads to a college or CEGEP diploma, or a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree (or an equivalent degree).
How much to report
You generally report only the part that is more than your scholarship exemption.
To claim a scholarship exemption, you must be enrolled in an educational program in which you are a qualifying student for the academic period the award was intended to support.
Steps
Determine if you are a qualifiying student
You are generally considered a qualifying student if you are enrolled in a qualifying educational program at a designated educational institution during the period the award was intended to support.
What is a qualifying educational program
A qualifying educational program is a program that lasts at least three consecutive weeks and requires a minimum of 10 hours of instruction or work in the program each week (not including study time), at an educational institution that is:
- a Canadian university, college, and certain other educational institution
- a university outside Canada where the qualifying student is enrolled in a course that lasts at least three consecutive weeks and leads to a degree at the bachelor level or higher
- a university, college, or other educational institution in the United States that give courses at the post-secondary school level, if the qualifying student is living in Canada (near the border) throughout the year and commutes to that institution
NoteThe 10 hours spent on instruction or work includes lectures, practical training, and laboratory work. It also includes research time spent on a graduate or post-graduate thesis.
An individual undertaking a postdoctoral fellowship is not considered to be enrolled in a qualifying educational program.
Your educational institution determines whether you are enrolled:
Whether you are a qualifying student affects how much of your scholarship, fellowship, or bursary you can exclude from income.
If you are not a qualifying student: Option 1
If you received an amount in box 105 of a T4A slip and you were not considered a qualifying student, you generally report only the part of the total of all such amounts you received in the year that is more than $500.
Any amount you received in the year that is more than $500 is taxable and must be reported at line 13010.
You are a qualifying student: Option 2
If you are considered a qualifying student continue to Step 2 - Determine your scholaship exemption
Determine your scholaship exemption
The scholarship exemption is the portion of eligible scholarships, fellowships, bursaries, artists' project grants, and certain prizes that you do not have to include in income. You generally report only the part that is more than your scholarship exemption at line 13010.
To claim a scholarship exemption, you must be enrolled in an educational program in which you are a qualifying student for the academic period the award was intended to support.
Full‑time enrolment
Post-secondary school scholarships, fellowships, and bursaries are generally not taxable if you received them for your enrolment in a program for which you are considered a full-time qualifying student in the tax year, in the immediately preceding tax year, or in the following tax year.
Limitation based on intended support
The scholarship exemption will be limited to the extent that the award was intended to support the student's enrolment in the program. To determine what portion of your award was intended to support your enrolment, consider such factors as:
- the duration of the program
- any terms and conditions that apply to the award
- the period for which support is intended to be provided by the award
Example — full‑time qualifying student (fully exempt)
You received a scholarship for a post‑secondary program and you were a full‑time qualifying student for the academic period supported by the award. The amount is generally fully exempt, and no amount is reported on line 13010.
Part‑time enrolment
If you received a scholarship, fellowship, or bursary related to a part time program for which you are a part-time qualifying student in the taxation year, in the immediately preceding taxation year, or in the following taxation year, your scholarship exemption is limited.
The exemption is equal to the total of eligible amounts, up to :
- Tuition fees you paid, and
- Costs of materials that are required for your program
Use the CRA calculation chart below to determine your scholarship exemption and the amount, if any, that you must include on line 13010 of your Income Tax and Benefit Return.
Calculation chart – Part-time enrolment
Chart to calculate the portion of the award that must be included in income
Calculation of scholarship exemption for the tax year:
Scholarships, fellowships, and bursaries received by you in the tax year related to a part-time program for which you are a part-time qualifying student for 2024, 2025, or 2026.
$ Blank space for dollar value
Line 1
Fees paid to the educational institution and costs of program-related material for the part-time program for which you are a part-time qualifying student for 2024, 2025, or 2026. Do not include costs and fees paid that you claimed for a scholarship exemption in a previous year.
$ Blank space for dollar value
Line 2
Enter the amount from line 1 or line 2, whichever is less.
$ Blank space for dollar value
Line 3
Line 1 minus line 2 (if negative, enter "0")
$ Blank space for dollar value
Line 4
Basic scholarship exemption
$ 500.00
Line 5
Enter the amount from line 4 or line 5, whichever is less.
$ Blank space for dollar value
Line 6
Add lines 3 and 6. This is your total scholarship exemption.
$ Blank space for dollar value
Line 7
Calculation of amounts to be included in income for the tax year:
Total of all scholarships, fellowships, and bursaries received by you in the tax year in connection with your part-time enrolment in an educational program.
$ Blank space for dollar value
Line 8
Enter your scholarship exemption for the tax year from line 7 above.
$ Blank space for dollar value
Line 9
Line 8 minus line 9. This is the amount of scholarship, fellowship, and bursary income that you must include at line 13010 of your return (if negative, enter "0").
$ Blank space for dollar value
Line 10
The CRA calculation chart helps you determine:
Your eligible tuition fees and program‑related material costs
Do not include costs and fees you already used to claim a scholarship exemption in a previous year.
- The basic scholarship exemption of $500, to arrive at your total scholarship exemption, and then the amount to include at line 13010 (if negative, enter “0”).
Example — part‑time qualifying student (limited exemption)
Sofia is a part-time qualifying student enrolled in an eligible educational program. She receives $2,000 in scholarship income and paid $1,300 in eligible tuition fees and required program materials.
Sofia can claim a scholarship exemption made up of:
- $1,300 for eligible tuition and program‑related costs; and
- the $500 basic exemption for part‑time students.
Sofia's total exemption is $1,800. The remaining $200 ($2,000 − $1,800) is taxable and must be reported on line 13010 of Sofia's income tax return.
Students with a disability (part‑time treated as full‑time)
For the purpose of the scholarship exemption, a student may be treated as a full-time student even if they were enrolled part time, if they are eligible for the disability tax credit or meet the impairment certification conditions described in CRA guidance.
If you are treated as a full-time student for this purpose, your scholarship, fellowship, or bursary may be fully exempt, and you may not need to report an amount at line 13010.
Calculate the taxable amount you need to report
Total amount eceived(add up the amounts shown in box 105 of all your T4A slips for the year)−Scholarship exemption=Taxable amount(if the result is negative, enter $0)
Special rule for artists' project grants
You must report artists' project grants as scholarship income on line 13010 of your Income Tax and Benefit Return, to the extent that they exceed your available scholarship exemption.
If you received an artists' project grant to produce a literary, dramatic, musical, or artistic work, and the grant is not related to employment or business income, you may use the scholarship exemption to reduce the amount you must include in your income.
How to determine your exemption
The exemption is equal to the reasonable expenses you incurred during the year to meet the conditions of each artists' project grant, up to a maximum of the amount of that specific grant. These expenses reduce the portion of the grant that must be reported as income.
In addition, you may be entitled to the basic scholarship exemption of $500, which further reduces the amount to report, if it has not already been used.
Expenses you cannot claim
When determining your expenses, you cannot claim :
- personal living expenses while at your usual place of residence
- expenses for which you can be reimbursed
- expenses that are otherwise deductible when you calculate your income for the year
Only expenses that are directly related to fulfilling the grant conditions and are reasonable in the circumstances can be used to reduce the taxable amount of the grant.
Example 1 — Artists' project grant with eligible expenses and a prize of achievement
I received two T4A slips totalling $8,000 for the following:
- $3,000 for a prize of achievement in the arts, and
- $5,000 to produce a literary, dramatic, musical, or artistic work (referred to as an art production grant)
I incurred $2,000 in expenses to fulfill the conditions of receiving the art production grant.
Do I have to report the whole $8,000 on line 13010 of my income tax and benefit return?
No. If the expenses you incurred to fulfill the conditions of receiving the art production grant are eligible, you can subtract them from the total amount you received in 2025 (box 105 of your T4A slips).
You can calculate your income to report on line 13010 as follows:
| Description | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total income from the prize and art production grant ($3,000 + $5,000) | $8,000 |
| Minus the eligible expenses you incurred to fulfil the grant conditions (no deduction is available for the prize) | $2,000 |
| Minus the basic scholarship exemption ($500) |
$500 |
| Income to report on line 13010 | $5,500 |
Example 2 — Multiple artists' project grants with expenses limited to each grant
I received two T4A slips totalling $8,000 for two separate art production grants: one for $3,000 and another one for $5,000. I incurred eligible expenses of $3,300 and $100 to fulfil the conditions to receive the first and second grant, respectively.
Can I claim the whole amount of $3,400 as expenses against my income this year to be reported on line 13010?
No. You may deduct the expenses you incurred to fulfill the conditions of receiving each art production grant, but only up to the amount of that grant. Therefore, you can claim eligible expenses of only $3,000 (not $3,300) for the first grant.
You can calculate your income to report on line 13010 as follows:
| Description | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total income from both art production grants ($3,000 + $5,000) | $8,000 |
| Minus the eligible expenses to fulfil the conditions for the first grant (maximum $3,000) | $3,000 |
| Minus the eligible expenses to fulfil the conditions for the second grant | $100 |
| Minus the basic scholarship exemption ($500) | $500 |
| Income to report on line 13010 | $4,400 |
How to report
Report the amount on your federal tax return
On line 13010 of your federal tax return, enter the taxable scholarships, fellowships, bursaries, and artists' project grants amount that you determined under How much to report.
Keeping your supporting documents
Do not send any supporting documents when you file your tax return. Keep them in case the CRA asks to see them later.